Cognizant to invest Rs 500 crore to expand Hyderabad facility

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In a major booster for the IT sector in the city, IT major Cognizant on Wednesday announced that it would be investing over Rs 500 crore in expanding its Gachibowli facility in the city to accommodate another 8,000 professionals over the next few years.

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The IT major, which started it Hyderabad operations in 2002 with 180 people, currently employs 18,000 people across five facilities in the city. The Gachibowli campus is the sole facility owned by the company while the rest, spread out in Ameerpet and Hitec City area, are leased.

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With its latest investment, the company will be adding a built-up area of 1.5 million sq ft on its 11-acre Gachibowli campus, which has an existing 2.25 lakh sq ft facility, the company said in a statement.

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Currently, the Hyderabad campus is Cognizant’s primary center for industry aligned business process services.

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Commenting on the expansion plans, Cognizant vice-chairman Lakshmi Narayanan said, “Cognizant’s investment in Hyderabad underscores our commitment to grow our operations in the city and tap into the region’s best-in-class talent. Our Hyderabad center is an important part of our integrated global delivery capability and represents our continued success in hiring the best talent to support our ever expanding range of services, industries, and geographies.” Through its centres in the city, the company provides a host of services like consulting, enterprise applications, IT infrastructure, and business process services to over 300 of its global clients in sectors spanning banking and financial services, insurance, retail, hospitality, manufacturing and life sciences.

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This apart, the company has hired over 8,000 fresh graduates over the past five years from around 20 engineering, management, science, arts and commerce colleges in the region.

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Ratan Tata lauds KCR’s vision. TELANAGANA and GMR get TATA Seal.

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When Tata group patriarch Ratan Tata talks, the world sits up and takes notice. In 2008, when he endorsed Gujarat and its then chief minister Narendra Modi with his famous comment about “a good M and a bad M“ (comparing Modi to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee after the Tata group pulled its Nano project out of Singur and moved into Gujarat), he willy-nilly helped boost Gujarat’s image as a preferred investment destination and that of Modi as a man who means business. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, Modi is the Prime Minister and the world has acknowledged Gujarat’s prowess as a top business destination.
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On Friday, it was the turnof Telangana’s first chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and infra major GMR Group’s founding chairman GM Rao, to come in for a strong endorsement from Tata, which is sure to send their brand equity soaring. While he hailed KCR for his `sincerity and commitment’ towards building a new state, he complimented GM Rao for his `pioneering spirit’ in bringing premier Canadian B-school Schulich to Indian shores, among other achievements.

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“I am very pleased to be a part of the Schulich endeavour in having this university, an extension of York, in Hyderabad. What has struck me in this particular case is that while many universities overseas are happy to collaborate in the form of having associate courses in home countries, very few of them are willing to do what this collaboration does, that is to give the students here the same degree as they would have in Canada. That takes a lot of commitment, a lot of sincer ity and a lot of application.
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I, therefore, would like to express, as an Indian, my thanks to York University and to Mr Rao forbringing this to India,“ he said. “Mr Rao hascoveredground usu ally where noroad exists. Ifyou see a wall, Mr Rao sees a door,“ added Tata, who is also on the Schulich India Advisory Council.

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Endorsing the new state, Tata said: “It is a great moment in the new life of the state headed by a very committed and a very sincere CM. One cannot help but feel that you are taking part in the infancy of a new and `potentially prosperous’ state that needs investment in business, investment in education, skills and I am sure that under your leadership, sir, this is going to happen.“

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On the occasion, GMR Group chairman GM Rao too lauded the T government’s efforts to usher in the best single window clearance system in the country that KCR has been promising to unveil as part of the new industrial policy. “The intention to roll out the red carpet for industries by granting them necessary clearances in 30 days speaks volumes of the CM’s leadership,“ he said.

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Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata with Telangana CM KCR

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Telangana CM KCR with Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata

DRDO to Set Up Rs 1,600 Crore Gas Turbine Project in Telangana

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Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will set up a first gas turbine project in the country at Nagarjuna Sagar in Nalgonda district with an estimated cost of Rs 1,600 crore.
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The DRDO officials searched several sites across the country and finally found the the site near NSP suitable for the project. Currently, the DRDO is dependent on gas turbine project in Moscow for its needs.
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Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao held a meeting with the officials on the proposed gas turbine project here on Wednesday.
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The chief minister said that the Telangana government would allocate 100 acres for the project at Nagarjuna Sagar apaprt from the required water and power to the DRDO, he said.
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Additional land will also be allotted to the DRDO at the same place in future for its research and development operations, the chief minister said.
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Chandrasekhar Rao said that the proposed project will also provide direct and indirect employment to hundreds of people in Telangana.
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The Telangana government has also decided to construct a airstrip for the convenience of officials and tourists, says a release from the CMO.

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Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao discussing with officials at the Secretariat in Hyderabad on 13th Aug 2014 the prospects of establishing a unit of Defence Research & Development Organisation in Telangana

ITC plans to set up a paper manufacturing unit in Telangana

Diversified group ITC , plans to set up a paper manufacturing unit in Telangana with an investment of Rs.3,500 crore.
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The company officials conveyed this to Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao during a meeting in Hyderabad on on 14th Juy 2014, said a statement from the chief minister’s office.
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KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, welcomed the decision of the group and said his government would provide adequate land for the plant.
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A delegation of top officials of ITC led by its executive director Pradeep Dhobale met the CM. They also expressed willingness to set up food processing and agro based units and take up eucalyptus plantation over one lakh acres.
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Microsoft India chairman Bhaskar Pramanik, who also met the Chief Minister, said the company would like to expand its activities in the newly-created state, it said.
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Hinduja Group chairman Ashok Hinduja also called on Mr Rao.

Hyderabad to be Equipped with 4G WiFi by December 2014

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If everything goes according to plan, Hyderabad is all set to be a 4G Wi-Fi enabled city by the year end.
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The 4G WiFi services will be available in western Hyderabad by September and for the entire city by December end. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao directed the officials to make arrangements for the same.

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Speaking at a review meeting with officials on ‘Hyderabad 4G WiFi City’ at the Secretariat on Thursday, KCR directed them to develop digital broadband infrastructure in Hyderabad. IT minister KT Rama Rao and representatives of Reliance, which will provide the services, were present in the meeting.

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Reliance state CEO KS Venugopal and coordinator PVL Madhava Rao explained to KCR the progress on the works of WiFi services in Hyderabad and other places in Telangana.
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As part of the first phase, 4G services will be made available in six corporations, 37 municipalities across the state apart from Hyderabad. In the second phase, all other cities, towns and 220 mandal headquarters will be provided with the services. The entire state would be made WiFi enabled by the third phase.

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The chief minsiter felt that 4G services would support the government’s efforts to improve the brand image of Hyderabad internationally. The representatives of Reliance assured the chief minister of meeting the deadlines. They said around 4,100 crore were being spent for providing WiFi services in Telangana.

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Reliance is laying 1,700 km long OFC lines in Hyderabad as part of the project. Lines have been laid for 500 km so far.
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Phase-wise WiFi

> 37 municipalities, 6 corporations to get 4G in phase I

> Phase II to cover other cities, towns and 220 mandal HQs

> Entire state to have WiFi by end of phase III

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Happening Hyderabad
18 July 2014

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Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR), Hyderabad

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Government of India has approved the proposal to set up an Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) near Hyderabad which envisages spending of about Rs. 2.19 lakh crore and generation of nearly 15 lakh direct jobs.
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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved setting up of ITIR near Hyderabad. the total investment for the
ITIR will be about Rs. 2.19 lakh crore on September 20, 2013.
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Of the total investment, the IT/ITeS sector is to attract investments of Rs. 1.18 lakh crore and the electronic hardware
manufacturing (EHM) sector of Rs. 1.01 lakh crore, according to an official release.The ITIR is expected to generate direct employment of 14.8 lakh and indirect employment of 55.9 lakh, it added. The major investments will be from public-private partnerships.
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“Government of India has also proposed upgradation of three radial roads and extension of the metro rail from Falaknuma to
Shamshabad international airport at total cost of Rs. 3,275 crore,” it said.
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The Telangana government has delineated an area of 202 sq km for the proposed ITIR in three clusters – Cyberabad
Development Area and its surroundings, Hyderabad Airport Development area and Maheshwaram in the south of Hyderabad and Uppal and Pocharam areas in eastern Hyderabad.
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The ITIR will be implemented in two phases. Phase I will from 2013 to 2018 and Phase II will be from 2018 to 2038, the
statement said. It is expected to develop into a key industrial region for IT, ITeS and electronic hardware manufacturing sectors.Special consideration will be given to accommodate small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the proposed ITIR.
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Telangana contributes 12.4 per cent of the total IT exports of the country and ranks 4th in IT performance in the country. During the 2011-2012 fiscal, the state’s IT sector reported a total (domestic and export) turnover of Rs. 53,246 crore, of which exports (STPI stood at Rs. 28,948 crore and SEZ Rs. 11,698 crore), while domestic sector reported a turnover of Rs. 12,600 crore.
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The CCEA had approved a policy resolution to set up ITIRs in different states to promote investment in IT/ITeS and
electronic manufacturing sector.
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As per the policy, Central Government will provide the necessary viability gap funding for external physical
infrastructure through existing schemes. The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) is the nodal department to process proposals relating to setting up of ITIRs.

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Happening Hyderabad
20 Sept 2013

Google, Amazon to go ahead with expansion plans in Hyderabad

Internet services company Google, global e-commerce major Amazon, global banking giant HSBC and others have decided to go ahead their expansion plans, which were stuck due to political uncertainty and issues relating to land allotment in Hyderabad.With the formation of Telangana state ending the political uncertainty and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government keen to create investment-friendly atmosphere, the big firms have started working out their plans.

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Information Technology Minister K. Tarakarama Rao Tuesday said the problems relating to allotment of land for Google would be sorted out soon. Google plans to set up its own campus, which will be its first outside the US.The state government in 2007 had allotted it 20 acres land at Kokapet but this ran into legal trouble. “The matter will be sorted out soon,” the minister told reporters.

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Last year, the then Congress government of united Andhra Pradesh had agreed to provide alternate land at Raidurg. It was immediately not clear if Google campus will come up at the original site or the one proposed last year.The global search engine giant employs 3,000 employees at three locations in the city and plans to double the headcount in five years.

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The minister said the problem with regard to land allotted for Amazon would also be sorted out soon. The retail giant was 10.57 acres of land at Nanakramguda in 2005 by the then government but the company could not begin construction due to legal hassles over the land.The online retail giant Amazon plans to build a 1.6 million square feet facility, which will be its biggest facility outside its corporate headquarters in the US.

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Amazon currently employs 4,000 people at its campus in the leased premises and intends to add 5,000 jobs at the proposed campus, which is expected to be completed by 2018.

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KTR said HSBC was also working on plans for massive expansion in Hyderabad.

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India’s biggest IT services firm Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) is also expanding its presence in Hyderabad at its new facility in the city. This will provide 28,000 new jobs in three to five years. TCS already employs 26,000 people at four facilities in the city.

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Rao said the government planned to develop Hyderabad as the topnotch IT destination in the country. It is working to develop small IT clusters around the city.On Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR), which the central government already sanctioned for Hyderabad.

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He said the mega project was estimated to bring an investment of over 2 lakh crore in 15 to 20 years. It is expected to provide 15 lakh direct and 35 lakh indirect employment.The government is also drawing plans to take the IT growth to tier-II cities like Warangal and Karimnagar.

:09 Sept 2014

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) likely to open its largest delivery centre in Hyderabad

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s leading software firm will double its capacity at its largest delivery centre in Adibatla, Hyderabad, said N Chandrasekaran, CEO and MD of TCS after a meeting with Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
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“The capacity addition of 28,000 employees will happen over a period of three to four years,” said V Rajanna, vice president and regional head of TCS Hyderabad. They also mentioned about their new facility at Adibhatla on the outskirts of the city. The new facility is reported to be TCS’ largest delivery centre set up at a single location.
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The new delivery centre commenced its first phase of operations on September 1 and has 27,000 seats and built over an area of 79 acres. The company with a headcount of over 3 lakh announced a projection of adding 55,000 employees in FY 2014-15. TCS presently has 26,000 employees across delivery locations in Hyderabad and adds around 3000 to 3,500 workforce annually, as per previous reports.
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Meanwhile, KCR has asked the state’s DGP to set up one police station at Adibatla area immediately since, the location is becoming an IT hub and increasing number of women workforce, the statement issued by the government said.
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Rao told the TCS chief that his government would be business and industry-friendly and would extend all the necessary support for expansion of TCS operations in the state.

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:25th Aug 2014
:Happening Hyderabad